


Wherever you go

by Ngie



Series: Wherever you go [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: (also kind of established swanqueen at first), Eventual Smut, F/F, Slow Burn, Wish Realm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-18 04:51:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13092786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ngie/pseuds/Ngie
Summary: « Genie I want you to send me at the same place as Emma Swan »When Regina wishes to be reunited with Emma in hope to bring her back to Storybrooke, she has no idea what she has gotten herself into. Waking up in bed with Emma was definitely not what she expected...more or less canon until season 6, everything goes differently from there. Rated E for future chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi  
> this is my first attempt at writing in english and this is the first chapter of a story I have in mind for weeks now. If the grammar is too bad, (I'm very insecure about the conjugation too) really tell me. Whether I work harder on it, whether I give up and stop insulting English language. This is meant to be a challenge for me, not an offense to anyone.  
> Any advice, correction or comment are welcome of course. Hate, however not so much. thank you for giving this fic a try. See you at the end.

« Genie I want you to send me at the same place as Emma Swan »

Regina had barely managed to contain her anger when she confronted her arrogant and insufferable other self at her office. Their games had definitely been taken too far, for way too long and sending away Emma was one final step over the line. At this point the mayor wanted nothing but rip the Queen's throat. Or try, at least with all the messy unspeakable rage she had kept inside for the past few weeks.  
But that would be barbaric wouldn't it ? And even though she hated her past now more than ever. There was one thing she couldn't deny :

She or her evil self didn't do barbaric.

It was a standard they settled at the very beginning of their path toward vengeance that soon enough became kind of a trend and made every of their evil moves infamous through an entire realm. They were wickedly smart, manipulative and uncompromising.

And it was time the mayor staked the claim back on those traits.

So she did. She fought smarter, using her opponent's most ostentatious advantage against her. And when the Queen realized what was happening it was already too late. An enigmatic mist was already sweeping the brunette away, sending her in unknown confines where was lying the very last hope for Storybrooke's, and therefore her family's happy ending :

Emma.

Regina felt the powerful whirlwind into to her very core making her feel nauseous in seconds, she saw her surrounding being ripped apart in a way that she was not used to. She had travelled between realms more times than she cared for for the past few years, but this felt different. Almost as if the gap she was crossing was thicker, deeper and her last thought before loosing consciousness was one of fear mingled with a prayer.

 _Let us be able to come back_ she thought.

Then everything vanished.

When she opened her eyes again, she was welcomed by a pure smothering light and something in the air that felt and smell like peace.  
Peace... she couldn't help but close her eyes and let the feeling soak in her flesh for a moment and stir up a lazy smile on her face. Yes, it felt good. Heavenly good even.  
And that last thought had her opening her eyes again in panic.

They hadn't ended up at the Elysian Fields or something had they ?

Her vision cleared up and her mind forced itself to take in her surrounding. Stone mantelpiece. Deep purple tapestries ornate with delicate and intricate gold patterns. Finely carved wooden furnitures. And a large window, that let the sunlight bath the entire space.  
A room. In a Castle. A bedroom, Regina inwardly clarified, when she realized she was actually in bed. She straightened up and her eyes wide when she saw the white linen blanket fall down her body revealing two very naked breasts. She picked the cover, reluctantly lifting it, confirming to her somehow anxious self that, indeed, she wasn't wearing any underwear.

That's when she noticed an arm wrapped around her waist. An arm, that, unlike the tanned olive skin and perfect toned curves on display before her eyes, did absolutely NOT belong to her. Her mind froze as her gaze followed the arm, traveling up a perfectly define shoulder to blond hair. An awful lot of blond hair, spreading on the sheet like a golden wild sea, sprinkling down a very familiar sleeping face.

Emma.

Practically molding her body into her own.  
Without  
any  
form  
of  
garment  
between them.

« What the hell... »

The mayor jumped out of the bed, pulling the blanket with her to cover herself, snapping inadvertently Emma out of her slumber.

« What's it ? » mumbled immediately a very sleepy blonde who sat up abruptly forcing her eyes wide open, almost comically looking to her left, then to her right and around the room. `

The brunette blinked and blinked again, stepping back and back until she hit a chair and almost fell on the floor. The noise caught the blonde's attention, blues eyes bored into her, sizzling with intensity and utmost concern.

« Baby ?... » asked the voice still hoarse from sleep. « Are....are your nightmares back again ?»

_Baby ?_

Before Regina had even the time to process the words the stark naked Savior was already moving out of the bed, reaching out to her. The brunette moved instinctively backward again soon stopped by a rather harsh wall. Her breath hitched while she rushed her mind to freaking read the whole situation. After one quick , basic analysis of the evidences her firsts conclusions were...  
They were...  
They..... Really ?

That was so ludicrous the brunette could have burst out in laugher but two things actually prevented her from that. The first was the very naked blonde now fully standing and walking towards her, and while she had to admit Emma's body was nothing short of breathtaking – sorry not sorry for having been raised to appreciate beauty- she found herself literally pinned by her moving presence, literally locked into her gaze . And for goodness sake the woman was only half awake and evidently not doing this on purpose! Regina felt her skin reacting to this organic force, puzzled, and the more her eyes captured the bared form moving forward the more it glowed with intangible fierceness and warmth.

This Emma was different.

She was vibrant, so striking it was disorienting.

Which, straight away, did not make the second thing look so good.  
Because, yes, there were also those rings.  
And by « rings » she meant the   _matching rings  they both wore on their left hands_.   
THAT...added to the « baby » thing from earlier ? Let's say it all brought the ludicrous aspect of the situation to a whole new level. And, while the mayor was sure, she would laugh about it later, preferably under alcoholic influence, for now, she felt rather inclined to hyperventilate.

Even more so when the blonde carefully stepped in her space and cupped her face, locking intensely their eyes.  
«What's going on ?» she ask in a alarmed husky whisper.

The brunette inhaled sharply as she literally _felt_ the blue eyes dig into her soul, searching and searching and dig some more... and damn....how in the world was she supposed to deal with this ? And for god sake without any clothe on?

Honestly she was two seconds from just spilling the whole truth, all ambitions of even being articulate thrown in hell, but a loud knock on the door actually interrupted her and made her almost jump out of her skin.

« Emma ? Regina ? »

The brunette eye's widen even more.

No.

NO FREAKING WAY !

« I'm coming in »

The squealing sound of the door almost had her fainting.

A gray haired Snow White entered the room, hands covering her eyes, blindly walking toward the bed

« Good morning you two »

The brunette, who was having a full-blown panic attack at this point, immediately sought a place to hide.

« Mum, we're here »

The brunette glared at her. _Was this Emma completely out of her mind ?_

Snow White turned instantly their way guided by Emma's voice and then flushed.

« Oh…hmm i interrupting ?» she asked hesitantly.

Regina looked around and saw the chairs and the deep red velvet love seat. And the realization of what the older woman might have in mind seemed to hit both her and Emma at the same time.

« We were just talking » rectified a finally blushing blonde. _Could it be possible that this Emma was even slower than the original one?_

Snow White seemed relieved and walked toward them, still covering her eyes. And the brunette couldn't properly breath.

« Good Morning » Snow greeted again with smile.

« What is it Mum ? » sighed the blonde still completely naked- and apparently totally okay with that fact.

« I know this is early but we have to open a council urgently »

The gentle voice sounded suddenly very serious.

« What for ? »

« Azaian has been attacked during the night, the emissary they sent just arrived »

The blonde frowned, dumfounded.

« Attacked ? By who ? »

Snow stayed silent clearly nervous and then answered almost solemnly.

« A Dragon. »

The blonde's body language changed abruptly. Her jaw and her fist clenched.

« Maleficent» she spat. Her mother only gulped and that seemed to be enough of an answer.

Nervously, the blonde ran a hand into her bed hair and despite the absurdness of the whole scenery the brunette noticed attentively the name that had just been mentioned.

« Victims ? » Asked the blonde her jaw still tensed.  
« Likely so, I'm afraid»

A heavy silent dropped into the room and Regina could almost feel it drop in her stomach.

«  We have to hear him as soon as possible » insisted Snow  
« Of course... » agreed immediately Emma.« We're coming down»

« We'll be waiting for you »  
With a hint of a smile and this signature tenderness in her voice, Snow retreated to the door, gently closing it on her way out without looking back.

The brunette couldn't help but sigh in relief. Clearly alcohol wouldn't be enough to cope with what just happened – hell this time even a lifetime of weekly sessions with Archie wouldn't heal what her dignity had just endured but then the blonde stepped closer and their eyes met. Everything vanished again.

« You're okay ? »

The brunette couldn't find her words, to be honest right this instant she could barely think and yet, somehow, that's when it hit her. That's when it all sunk in.

Emma.

Emma was standing just before her. Alive. And surely their respective states of clothing were not exactly ideal, but the deeper she sunk into blue, the more she could feel hope. And after what she had gone through lately...Hope...Hope was so very okay. So she nodded, not really understanding what it really meant and what it didn't. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her then pulled her into an embrace and soon Regina felt the soft skin of the blonde's chest against her cheek. It was warm, and peaceful and electric and awkward and inappropriate. But she let herself being held tight- and before preposterous assumptions were made : Regina Mills was absolutely NOT a hugger- but when the blonde's chin gently laid of the top of her head, somehow, she let it happen. Fear, uncertainty, shock. Relief and the guilt that was eating her up for so long, all of it broke in million pieces as she leaned against the strong shoulder, her eyes tearing, her chest clenching so hard.

« We've got to get ready » she heard before a kiss was placed on her forehead. Then the blonde slightly pulled away and the brunette felt her intense presence being ripped away from her skin, leaving it bare and cold again. She frowned, and shivered when fingers brushed the back of her neck. The blonde leaned her forehead against hers.  
« Even when Fate is at its darkest, you're ridiculously beautiful you know that ?»

Regina flushed and spoke before she could think twice.

« You are too » she said, remembering the past and everything the blonde had always stood for. Regina had been wanting to say those words for a long time, but had never found an opportunity to do so without the situation turning awkward. Telling them now was sort of an easy way out, she knew, but maybe she would make up for it once they were back and safe again.

« I …hum… need to get dressed »

Regina chuckled thanking any responsible deity for finally addressing this problematic issue.

Emma, the real one, was a private person, and the little stunt she pulled answering the door in her underwear during that first week in Storybrooke ? was an absolute bluff ! With years, Regina had learnt a lot about Emma and she knew the blonde was very self conscious about physical contacts. Only Henry seemed to break through every one of her barriers an invade her personal space without having her stiffen or slightly hold her breath, but the mayor was an observant woman. And she could recognized the stigmas of an abusive childhood when she saw them.

And she had never brought the subject up, all too aware of what couldn't be undone by words. But she had pledged to give Emma what she could offer now : respect, distance and support

When or if the blonde remembered any of this  though ? She couldn't help but smile at the picture of the blonde avoiding her like plague for at least a week.

She smiled, still caught up in her thoughts, when the blonde disentangled herself from her and made her way to the bathroom.

There.

She was still confused as hell, completely at loss really, but this was her cue to regroup and focus the best she could to figure out what exactly Emma and her had gotten themselves into. First, she concentrated her magic, which was not an easy thing given her emotional state, but she tried and sought for a collision, hoping to provoke or find a crack somewhere through the layers of this exuberant fake reality. Maybe a fading or weakened spot she could tear apart or work on. But she felt nothing.  
Not even a hint of magic around her, aside from her own and that was the worst outcome she could have imagined. Whatever the Evil Queen's twisted intentions were- and really her doppleganger had obviously outdone herself this time- she knew nothing about the foreign magic she used. The Genie's powers were unfamiliar to her and if she didn't know what exactly she was dealing with... chances were high she would end up fighting against freaking windmills. Which would be ironic, thinking about it, in a weird familial kind of way, but not happening anytime soon.

She needed solid reliable knowledge, and as much as she hated to admit it : probably only one person could answer her questions whatever the realm she was in. _If_ he was even there.

So, yes.

She had to find the Imp.

And that meant going out of this room at some point and learn where him. Also that meant playing the wife, which obviously had never been her thing…with Emma nonetheless ? She could only hope this charade would be over soon enough.

First things first though, she approached one of the stunning wardrobes, seeing herself for the first time in the mirror incrusted on its door. And not that it was the epitome of her current priorities, but she was pretty happy to discover a very similar reflection of herself and not an outrageous older version with wrinkles alienating her still immaculate face. Her hair was still jet black- thank god -except it was longer, almost longer than it had been before she shortened it after Robin's death. That stirred up something inside.

So much had happened since then.

Shaking off those thoughts, she opened the doors fearing she would discover those fashion crimes of pastel dresses she saw on Snow before But hey...Actually it was not that bad. Not bad at all. Going through the different luxurious garments she was happy to find that, even in here : she still possessed an substantial sense of style. She picked up a dramatic corset gown, not as theatrical as the ones she used to wear back in her evil days, but spectacular enough to do the trick : almost climactic cleavage, fine and elegant cut and a never ending fluid skirt made of the most voluptuous golden fabric. With a wave of a hand she was wearing it with epic high heels and a light smoky make up, with a deep -but not dark- shade of red on her lips. She pulled up her hair in a high and neat ponytail, checking herself to make sure she looked acceptable when she heard alarming noises coming from the adjacent bathroom and a very childish frustrated whine.

She exhales, rolling her eyes.

« Still refusing to help magic my clothes on because of a stupid bet that happened years ago is borderline cruel you know » she heard muttered.

And while dozens witty remarks about being too happy to magic her clothes off instead made her way to the brunette's mind, her lips stayed sealed. Humor was probably not the smartest idea right now.

She half expected to see a messy blonde disaster come out, but her breath was cut short when the said blonde made her actual appearance. Emma wore a finely tailored outfit that fitted perfectly her slender yet athletic silhouette. Her embroidered vest displayed the finest patterns and different shades of gold that, surprisingly, matched precisely the brunette's own gown. The tunic she wore underneath, left her exposed from the nascence of her neck down to an irreverent extent of her chest. Her tanned leathered trousers were not so different from the skinny jeans she wore in Storybrooke except for the thigh high leather boots that they were paired with, making her look like actual royalty instead of a late bloomer. And there was her posture, intense and fiery. Borderline arrogant without even trying.

« Did I do good ? »

Regina, smirked and stepped closer, turning one of the royal medals on the right side.

« You did »

At least, Emma and her together had some flare. Being one of those vanilla couples would only add insult to injury  
Also, Emma Swan's fashion sense had finally hit adulthood, how emotional was that ?

A hand sneaked possessively around her waist.

« You are going to take all the breaths away. Again » murmured the Savior. And the brunette almost froze. Enamored Emma was, evidently very, very, different from Storybrooke Emma : and obviously the sooner she had that engraved into her thick mind, the fewer were the chances it gave her a major heart attack.

Regina had flirted with women multiple times in her life, she had even taken some of them into bed. And even though she knew this was a critical double-edge situation she let her instinct took on. Emma and her were adults, they've known each other for years and they were friends : they could do this. So she forced herself to relax, arching an provocative eyebrow :

«Well I found that challenging your counterpart’s composure is oftentimes a pretty handy tool on the political field»

The blonde laughed.

«Even when the said counterpart end up being mostly your wife? I don’t get what goal are you trying to achieve then. Because I will certainly be the one who will find it to hard  to focus on one thought at a time»  
« Mmm…Maybe I just like hard ways » Regina winked.

Emma groaned and gasped against her neck.  
« Oh don’t I know that…» and the brunette shivered thinking for a second she had pushed it a little to far.

But Emma took a deep heavy breath and stepped back.

« From the look of it, today's council's not going to be easy anyway» she sobered up, this weary expression back on her face.

She went to the fancy cabinet against the wall and opened the two beautiful cases lying on its top.

Firstly she extracted a thin fine white golden crown and disposed it on her own head, struggling to make the royal ornament stand more or less straight.

« I think before midday The White Kingdom and The Moors will be officially on war »

Then she pulled out a beautiful tiara from the second case and extended it to Regina. The brunette accepted the fine jewelry marveled by the myriad of black diamonds intricate in the most delicate floral figures. In awe, she tried to keep her mind on track.

« Does Rumplestinskin has anything to do with this ? » She tried, unsure.

The blonde frowned in confusion, helping the brunette with the tiara.

« He's been in Maleficent's donjons for decades. She knows better than to set him free if she values her own life. She also knows he will stand inevitably between her...and what she wants the most »

Maleficent had Rumple ?

« What is it ? What does she want ? »

The blonde chuckled in disbelief or bitterness, the brunette wasn't sure. Then she answered, her jaw strained from a barely contained anger :

« You »

 


	2. Chapter 2

  
The walk from de royal bedchamber to the council room felt endless and weird. Those long corridors stirred up the most crippling feelings inside Regina, no matter how much time had passed since she was that teenage Queen, trapped in political maneuvers she didn't even begin to understand at the time. Those stone walls reminded her of this golden cage she had suffocated in, feeling deprived of her own life, in so many ways.

That made her feel nervous, uneasy and her magic was coursing under her skin, ready to break the whole building down at the mere threat.

That's when Emma's fingers tightened gently around her own and pulled her unconsciously closer. The blonde was walking slightly behind her, head held high and blue eyes focused straight ahead.

The brunette could feel the same aura oozing from the taller figure, solid and inflexible, almost wild and yet enveloping her with the utmost care. She breathed in and out, trying to let all of those tensions go, not sure if that was the reasonable thing to do though. Obviously, the situation here was more complicated than she expected, definitely on more levels that she expected it to be. And the war that was supposedly about to burst seemed bound to impact the one and only mission she had, and truthfully, the one and only mission she cared about: bring Emma back HOME, where their whole family was waiting, most certainly worried sick and in danger. She thought about their son, about the Idiots and about Neal who was way too adorable for its own good, and way too young to see his family fall apart.

That's why she was here. For them. And for herself, because she was absolutely not ready to loose anyone she loved again. And she would absolutely not bear the guilt of having any part in this debacle, even if this part was a doppleganger she had lost all control over.

Caught in her thoughts, she instinctively turned left at the corridor's end bumping immediately into a young maid. The poor girl almost fell on the floor before Regina, luckily enough, managed to catch her on time, tightening every fiber of her being to constrict the overflow of magic that rushed towards her hands.

« I'm so sorry » she excused herself, making sure the young maid was okay. And to be fair, the girl seemed pretty fine. At first. Before she met her eyes, stared at her face, and then suddenly looked terror-stricken and stopped breathing.  
« Are you alright ?» asked the rather alarmed Queen, trying to offer a reassuring smile but the reddening face she was smiling at only turned multiple shades redder.

She frowned, brought a hand to one flustered cheek.  
« Sweetheart ?...» she said with an innate motherly tone, and dear god, the maid seemed about to faint. Regina felt horrified for a second, thinking her magic had slipped out of her control and was messing up with the girl's blood pressure somehow.

Then she heard the blonde laughing behind her :  
« Gods Regina, stop torturing the poor girl»

Confused, the brunette stepped instantly away, double-checking her hands... and honest to god, not an ounce of magic was streaming out of them ! She stared in bewilderment as Emma walked to the petrified girl and leaned towards her, putting an amicable hand on her shoulder.

«You're desperate to tell the Queen you're sorry right ? » she asked gently smiling.

In response the girl nodded furiously.

« Well....as you heard she's sorry too. D’ya hear that? »

Frenetic nods again.

« You know what ? This is a big castle, incidents happen and it's not really that big of a deal... »

The maid exhaled apparently remembering she had lungs, which was a good start, but she lowered her gaze in shame.

« Hey if you're okay, then everything's okay… You're good ? »  
« Y..y..yes your Highness »

Sweet lord: WORDS !

« Go ahead then and be careful » the blonde winked and the maid immediately bowed, her body as stiff as a plank, meeting Regina's gaze for less than a second before blushing again. Then she fled as if she was running for her dear life.

The brunette looked at her, mouth agape and when the blonde turned to her with a half admonishing expression on her face, she tried not to for a full second…but she lost it. Because, okay, what just happened was kind of cute, but also, if you asked her, totally uncalled for and she couldn't help but feel slightly offended :

« What did I do ? » she asked in disbelief.

The blonde looked at her sternly and then laughed.

« You're so oblivious sometimes....even after all these years »  
« Oblivious of what ? » she spat, because enigmatic sentences added to being laughed at while being completely at loss ? That was a terrible combination. Even she knew that and she had the most horrendous records at relationships.

Surely, the blonde was supposed to the diplomatic one of the two of them right?

« Oblivious of what you do to people... »

The brunette frowned.

« You pride yourself on mastering crazy powerful spells. As if you need them. But every time you breathe you are magic itself » 

The blue eyes were suddenly so sure, devotion shone in them and Regina felt blinded for a second. Those were funny words, she silently mused, coming from someone who, once upon a time, came into a town with nothing but a horrid yellow bug and the equally horrid clothes she had on and managed to break a curse and turn her life upside down. It was all so vivid in her memory, a little heart-wrenching maybe, but it was all so right ultimately and about learning how to hope and love again.

« I'm not sure I'm the oblivious one » she said smiling back almost absently.

The blonde looked at her, pulled her close, nuzzling her face against hers. And of course the brunette stiffened a bit.

« Where were you going by the way ? » the blonde asked kissing gently her cheek, brushing her soft lips against her skin.  
« Mmm ? »

Really all of this was so disorienting .

« You were heading to the great hall, they're all waiting for us in the council room »  
« Oh » Regina was dazed.« I...I.. got distracted I guess »

Then Emma smiled laced their fingers again and led the way.

« Let's not provoke any more emotional havoc among our loyal castle staff shall we »

The brunette chuckled, rolled her eyes, but followed her anyway in the opposite direction, where they descended magistral marble stairs, diligently greeted by several valets. On the first floor, big heavy doors opened, revealing old Snow and old David, sitting in the royal vestibule . They both smiled and stood, soon engulfing them in warm hugs. Even older and from some unidentified realm they were the same sappy, goofy Charmings she knew. And for once, it warmed her to no end.

« We all kind of fell out of the bed huh ? » commented David scraping the back of his head.  
« Actually they weren’t.. » And whatever Snow was about to say she was interrupted by Regina's hand raised in the air.  
« Don't» she said with an evil glare.

All of this was likely fake and unsettling on purpose but this ? This unfathomable bruise in her ego ? Might never ever EVER fade. In fact she wasn't even sure what kind of ungodly demented circumstances could ever lead to Snow White catching her up naked in her daughter's bedchamber, without at least ONE dead person as an outcome, but really she would be too happy to find Rumple and get out of this realm without ever figure that out.

« Well, then.. how about we go inside and face this » exhaled seriously David.  
« Yeah » approved Emma, tightening her fingers around Regina's and the brunette couldn't be more enthusiastic to move on.

The four of them nodded at each other and were walking toward the council room's entry, when Snow caught one of Regina's slender wrist just before the valet pushed the doors open.

« Oh I actually meant to have a word with you before we go in there... » she whispered.

Regina raised an inquiring eyebrow.

« Could you please try to refrain any negative comment about Leroy's height during the council ?  His wife complained about him being moody for three weeks after our last assembly»

The brunette scoffed : « Is that woman just waking up from a sleeping curse ?   He- is - a- dwarf » she reminded. « he's been moody his whole life !»

Snow exhaled, and gave her one of her creepy passive aggressive smile.

« Theodora has been working in the castle for the last two decades and lately I've been receiving cactuses every morning in guise of breakfast bouquets Regina! I fear the next level would be having carnivore plants eating my venison just before my eyes !»

The brunette's smile was radiant and the two others chuckled. Snow on the other hand, didn't seem too amused.

The brunette rolled her eyes.  
« Fine »  
« Splendid » the older Queen beamed. « Now we shall open this audience »

The second the huge doors actually opened, a thunder of chairs scraping the stone floor in synchrony resonated throughout the immense space.

« Please, welcome the revered Princesses, Queens, Consorts and King of the White Kingdom » screamed the announcer at the top of his lungs.

Regina couldn't help but smirk at the never ending enumeration, wondering, rather rightfully so, which title was referring to whom exactly in this quite unrealistic situation. Discovering the room though, she found herself genuinely impressed and rather puzzled. This castle was similar and yet different from the one she had known in her early life, and the council room she had made pointless appearances into, in her youth, was effectively located in the west aisle- where minutes ago she apparently almost killed a maid. This one, however, was exposed to the East and was far more grandiloquent than the original one . The walls were at least as high as an entry hall, in the middle of the room or gallery- to be more accurate - stood a colossal rectangular solid wooden table, measuring at least more than 30 feet in length. Along both of the longer sides, stood solemn figures, placed in accordance with their functions and grades she guessed. The first on the left, was Ruby, almost on full armor, harboring numerous military medals, and a few places away she recognized Leroy and his eternal grumpy face. Aside from the army forces, stood other representatives, assembled and identified by their distinctive cloaks, each type unique in its color and the amulet displayed on its front. Among those symbols she recognized a hammer certainly featuring some sort of masonic emblem, a caduceus, a feather, which was quite enigmatic at first, but the instant she spotted Belle she understood that those were likely writing feathers representing knowledge and education or something related to the million books the woman spent her time reading in her real life. She was surprised to see civilians sitting among the assembly too, which was unusual given the traditional monarchic system in place here. Ultimately she was astonished by the four empty stone chairs, throning at the head of the table, side by side, each one of them ornate in its own way but all equal in size.

Well that was unforeseen.

A gentle push on the small of her back pulled her out of her somehow haggard contemplations and with a slightly nervous breath, she finally moved forward making her way towards the royal stage. She felt immediately dozens of gazes drawn to her like magnets, while the regular sharp clicks of her heels echoed dramatically in the heavy silence. Every stare she met trembled and hastily bowed in reverence, and the brunette gulped, despite her natural regal composure, feeling like an actress unprepared for a role. The blonde's august presence against her back, the confident allure of Snow and David walking beside her, made it pretty clear thought, that running out would be strikingly in apropos and she found herself inevitably guided to her designated royal seat, soon facing enraptured and stern delegates, while Emma stood at her right, Snow at her left. David closing the royal quattuor, standing by the farthest seat on the left, next to his spouse.

For a moment, every breath seemed to stop. The brunette, on her part, felt the air literally pushed out of her lungs .

Just before her eyes, on the front wall were displayed the customary royal portraits. And her eyes caught immediately the one face that would always make her heart skip a beat.

Henry, her little prince, kneeling, sword in hand, blade toward the ground, his beautiful face directed at her. He didn't seem much older than he actually was in Storybrooke, his eyes were so stark though, hard almost, something inside her just seared. But what really made the ground crumble beneath her feet was the nearest fresco picturing her and Emma, looking unexplainably younger, in their royal attires. The blonde was possessively embracing her from behind, both of them looking fiercely forward ; their hands laced and curled protectively around her midriff...her very _rounded_ midriff. _Very rounded_ like v _ery swollen with child_ midriff.

That hit her. Evidently.

So.... she was the one who gave birth to Henry here.

And to think waking up married was the most upsetting surprise of the day...

Her jaw clenched as well as her heart. Her breath deserted her body and her legs threatened to give way.

Did she have imagine it before?

Of course she had. She was now seeing it in full-size. And she stared, breathless. First at her plump stomach, then at their eyes, blue and hazel, practically shimmering with the same glow. It was unsettling : seeing hers and Emma's stares looking so identical. They both were so different. Always have been. And... really, whoever painted this was brilliant.   
The curves she was seeing? Agony had made her loath them when she was too young, and she killed every chance she had to harbor them one day.   
But they would have suited her.  
She had wondered and had only presumed. But, now she knew. They would have suited her, in fact, they would have made her look beautiful.. And it was relieving in a way. And also heartbreaking.

Emma seemed to sense her falter and stroked instinctively the back of her hand. The brunette looked at the ring that got her freaked out first thing this morning. It was beautiful: a solitaire, circled with red blood rubies.   
She hadn’t even considered there was a story behind it had she ?

When it was time to open the council, the three pairs of eyes ended up staring expectantly at her messy and emotional self. After one second she glared back with an _there’s no way in hell I’m gonna open this_ expression on her face.

That had Snow clear her throat in no time.

« Good morning counselors, delegates, respected elected representatives, first and foremost, thank you for presenting yourself this early at the council. As we all know now, a cherished part of our Kingdom has been affected by some violent events last night. In those hurtful circumstances, and as our constitution requires from us, the duty of the Main council is to provide immediate support to our most distressed citizens. After defining together a satisfying plan to help Azaian's population, we must also discuss and consider the Kingdom's response to the threat presently targeting its security »

At that, sharps murmurs hissed in the air, and Regina saw the sea of solemn faces turned into a whirlwind of anger.

« Please counsellors, stay calm » encouraged the benevolent and older queen. « We need to proceed with a clear mind and make the most adequate decisions regarding the crisis Azaian is currently going through »

The uproar instantly calmed down.

« I propose that without further ado, we hear the emissary sent to our attention. »

All the delegates nodded.

« May we all sit down»

Again, all the chairs ground in unison and everyone sat down. Regina smirked.

To think she had been the one called evil for authority issues.

« Announcer, please, let the emissary in »

Immediately patience and dread tensed the air  
Everyone shifted nervously, waiting..   
And waiting.  
And waiting.  
And waiting.

« Announcer ? » inquired Snow White after a full minute.

« I'm confused your Highness it seems that... »  
« Ssoorry » mumbled a wobbling figure, interrupting him. The guest clumsily removed his hat revealing messy white hair.

« I was hum... in the bathroom.... you know » the guy smirked pointing at his crotch. David had to choke to hide his laugher. And Regina, on her part, narrowed suspiciously her eyes.

The announcer stood straight :

« Please, present yourself » he screamed making the guest jump and wince as if his voice was resounding in his head.

Oh no, please thought the brunette.

« The name's Killian Jones Ma'am, »  
«  I mean My queen » he corrected  
« Hum My queens... » her corrected again.  
« Hum everyone. » he finished waving awkwardly and then bowed down seemingly quite confused with the protocol.  « I'm a..fisher and..I help at the docks sometimes, you know when..they need help »

Regina was livid.

No wonder fate had chosen _her_ to marry Emma in _this_ realm, if _this_ joke of man was the blonde's only other option ! Because, she wasn't very fond of the original Hook and yes, she did question his hygiene multiple times. But at least, hygiene had been a matter of debate to begin with !

And who in the world, would show up hungover at a royal audience ?

Snow White smiled rather tensely, while a collective chuckled could be heard among the assembly.

« Please receive our respect Sir Jones, as well as our most heartfelt support. As the voice and the emissary of Azaian, please, enlighten us regarding the events that caused your grievance and name your people's needs »

« Hum...So..last night was pretty quiet at the bar...I mean on town. On town » he repeated clearing his throat. «  And…all of a sudden, this big dragon » he said widening his arms « really really big dragon with big wings....came up and started to spit fire all over the place  In the blink of an eye... all was in flames...the houses, the granaries, even the harbor... people were running around trying to put the fires out but... but it all seemed useless... Our elder, only gods know why » the fisher chuckled to himself « Sent me to you. They were all still fighting against the fire when I left. I rode my horse the whole night like crazy...and well...here am I »

A heavy silence had filled the room.

« Are there... » began Snow White with a lump in her throat. «  Are there many human losses to deplore ? »

The older and rather messy version of Killian, divert his eyes instantly and scraped his beard then his head nervously.

« Hum... » he frowned, trying to prevent his voice from shaking, to no end. « Actually it was pretty late and... people, I mean most of the people were ...asleep and they were kinda caught of guard and...many of them didn't have the time to evacuate…»

When he looked to the assistance again his blue eyes were tearing. And somehow they all got that alcohol was not the only thing blurring his stare to begin with. The man was exhausted. And he was broken.

« Every parent » he almost mused to himself, a haunted frown on his face «  Every parent thinks that putting the children's beds upstairs is safer right ? I mean it makes sense in case someone breaks in and all. But in case of house fires... » He never finished this sentence. And he didn't have to, he just looked at the ground blankly. Regina looked around. Emma, Snow White, David, were jaw clenched. She herself felt her eyes watering.

« Oh » the emissary continue, wiping his wet face. « Also, the...the beast left this in the central place » Searching in his back pocket the man took something out and presented it to the assembly, provoking instantaneously sharp whispers, mutters of shock and burst of outrage.

An apple. That's what he had taken out and put nervously on the table.

A blood red apple.

« I knew better than to take a bite on it » he tried to joke, winking at Regina, in the most inappropriate attempt to lighten the atmosphere. The brunette frowned.

« This ! » yelled Leroy, abruptly standing up, pointing the apple.

« This is plain and pure provocation to the kingdom ! We can not let that go ! » he shrieked his face red with rage and ferocity.

« Sit down Leroy » cut coldly Snow White and the dwarf quite shocked by sharp the remonstrance, obliged without any words. Emma’s energy was so strong Regina felt it protect her almost like a shield.

« We all chose to let this part of the past where it belongs, We need to focus on fixing this situation »

As everyone reluctantly calmed down and settled, Regina stayed intrigued, observing Snow, who perceptively darkened and tensed. The « apple » episode was of the most painful of their real history.

What was its meaning here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, first thank you all for the support, it means a lot to me. I was writing the second update and realize the chapter was far too long so I cut it and decided to upload the first part. 
> 
> I hope you guys like it and still want to read more. (I'm still sorry for not being more fluent in english, I'm trying hard to better myself)
> 
> See you soon :)


	3. Chapter 3

« What can we do to help ? » The older queen asked solemnly looking directly at the emissary.

The man clumsily searched in his back pocket again and retrieved a piece of paper.

« I have kind of a list » he explained smiling stiffly. He unfolded the document, blinked several times at it, narrowed his eyes... putting the paper close then far from his face

« Here it is » he began with satisfaction. « We people of...of Azaian...request humbly from our...gracious, beloved...Kingdom and rulers, desperate and urgent assistance in sustenance, medical cures and knowledge as well as every benevolent contributions to relieve our citizens suffering from the complete loss of their possessions. First and foremost may your kind hearts keep us all in prayers and give us the strength to overcome the hardship Fate has just mercilessly thrown our way. »

The man finished with a little bow, folding and stuffing the paper back in his pocket.

« Ministers? » asked Snow in direction of the delegates displaying dark green cloaks and a amulet with a tree engraved in it. For a few moments, all of them exchanged whispered words and several parchments.

The man occupying the closest sit from the four rulers finally stood up and spoke.

« It's still early in the growing season your majesty, and the kingdom had suffered some low temperatures that have belated the maturation of many of our crops. Corns, fruits, berries, greens are not ready to be harvest yet. We're hopeful they will in the next three weeks, for now though, the market is mainly fueled by the royal stocks, which, we fear, are running low. However we just had recent and successful harvest in potatoes, carrots , parsnips, beetroots and gourds, all of which we propose to send Azaian one third of the royal stocks, as well as one third of the stocks in dairy products, wheat and rye. As you know the hunting season is closed because the hinds are still nursing, but we can envision an early opening in two months. That would allow us to give away at least one tenth of our reserves in venison. We will also make sure to provide seeds to the Azaian's farmers in hope to help them start planting again as soon as possible.»

A few seconds passed as the minds processed the words.

« Very well, thank you » Snow looked at the whole table.« Proposition submitted to vote »  
After checking the raised hands on display, the queen proclaimed.« Proposition unanimously adopted »

After a solemn nod, the minister was already busying himself consulting documents and writing down the required instructions.

« Delegates of healers »

Unlike the previous summoned delegation, the members wearing the same deep purple cloaks ornate with a caduceus amulet didn't consult each other before one of them immediately stood up and spoke. A rather young woman, with striking grey eyes :

« Highnesses, fellow counsellors » she greeted bowing. « Thus far, our guild consists in 7 experts in healing, 10 advanced healers and 8 apprentices who are still under our Queen's close teaching » the woman said, meeting respectfully Regina's eyes and bending slightly in her direction. The brunette flinched first and then tried not to give away her surprise when the title clearly referred to her. So she was in charge of the healing guild ? How more different this Regina could get from the Queen she was herself in her times ? The thought of it was bitter sweet, as were many of her observations since she had arrived here, obviously.

« For our part, we already have specific protocol and instructions concerning the situation currently experienced by Azaian. »

The brunette smirked : whatever the realm she was in, organization was one of her outstanding skills. She liked the idea.

« Given the considerable amount of energy required to heal burns and the requisite yet graphic procedures it entails, the dispatch of our forces would exclude the underage members of our guild as well as those of us who are still under apprenticeship. They would stay at the capitol under the supervision of one expert healer, charged with providing any assistance needed in the vital heart of our kingdom. On the other hand, the rest of us would be sent to Azaian for a period of 2 weeks. Our instructions imply the immediate organization of the medical care on-site, including both the treatment of physical injuries and psychological traumas. We are also instructed to bring several cures and train any volunteers on their basic use. Here are the propositions respectfully submitted to the council's vote, your Highness »

With that, the delegate sat down. And Regina was furthermore surprised. Taking in account the psychological impact of violence, whatever it’s form, wasn’t something she expected from herself, nor from this time and space. The Enchanted forest, always

« Proposition submitted to vote » said Snow quickly followed by a rather proud « Proposition unanimously adopted »

Praising nods were directed at Regina, while Emma stroke her thigh and then proceeded to leave her hand inappropriately close to her crotch. The brunette shifted uncomfortably, provoking zero reaction from the oblivious blonde. Having Killian standing just in front of them, made the situation really awkward, and again the brunette inwardly blamed Fate for putting her in such ridiculous position.

The council went on, more effectively than any of Storybrooke weekly town's council, she observed.  
Maybe she would have every deputy sent here for educational purposes when Emma and her would be done saving Storybrooke from its latest imminent demise. Because here they were, dealing with a dragon attack when the refection of the Stroybrooke's central fountain had taken more than three weeks.

The civilian representative’s proposition to collect and send clothes and helpings hands to the survivors was fast approved, and before she could think twice, the brunette actually spoke :

«And they'll need wood » she said surprised by her own voice. Well... if she was to sit at this faux council, she might as well maximize its level of exactitude right? And, yes, okay, maybe indulge a little bit into one of her deepest political fantasies? What harm could it do? When everyone turned to her, she put up all her flare to cover up her compulsive outburst and raised an eyebrow : «  Azaian is a sea side city, the trees growing on its ground are improper for construction »

She could, in fact, clearly remember her younger self very unhappy to find out that the most eligible location in her kingdom to establish a Naval contingent, had no suitable wood growing on its soil, and therefore was unable to build a single ship within a reasonable timeline.  
That day she almost had the entire village slaughtered, but under her father's relentless pleas for magnanimity, she had reluctantly settled to upgrade the taxes to an ungodly level instead. The memory was strikingly vivid and suddenly guilt gripped Regina's guts as Killian genuinely agreed with her.  
«  She's right. »

Snow turned to one of the delegations, frowning : « Masons? »

A robust man stood, looking at his colleagues with uncertainty.

« Well, your highnesses, as the council decided last year, we are processing the complete renovation of the royal stables and are about to start the extension of the castle's north aisle... which includes the Solarium you were so enthusiastic about... » The big man stumbled over his words. «With ...with...all the ongoing work ... I'm afraid we won't have anything substantial to send to our Azaian friends... of course we could cut down more trees but it would take weeks to dry them and oil them properly. »

« How about if we forego the Castle's extension, could we be more  helpful then? »

The robust man frowned :« But we already belated the Solarium's construction two years ago when you assigned all the building materials to the refurbishment of civilians habitations... "

Snow White laughed a little.

"Well, maybe fate is telling me that any frivolous ambitions about my tan is useless Peter. Anyway, I've been deceptively living up to my name for 62 years, whatever late identity crisis I'm having right now I'm sure it could wait one more year to strive aggressively for completion"

The human mountain lower his gaze while the rest of the assistance chuckled.

"Does the council approves the reallocation of the kingdom's construction equipment to Azaian?"

When everyone lightheartedly raised their hands, Snow White displayed a satisfied smile: " Proposition submitted to vote and adopted" Then she looked up at Killian. "I believe these are the council's responses to Azaian's most urgent solicitations. Please also note that all of this will be supported by an early consignment of the city's mid-year allowance. We'll convene a reunion in about a month to take the stock of the situation and we’ll decide any further action from there"

The fisherman nodded. "Okay, yeah"

"Needless to say we are under the pressure of urgent circumstances" the Queen added to the benefit of the whole room " I know we are just hours past dawn right now but time is running against us and I trust all of you to have a convoy ready to leave when the sun reaches its zenith.”

Instead of dumbstruck faces, Regina saw resolute ones and eyes almost vibrant with pride.

“As you wish your Highness”  
“We’ll do as you see fit”   
  
The reverent nods the brunette witnessed made the air shiver. Or was it just her skin? She wondered feeling herself in awe.

“The question is: which one of you will lead them?”

Ruby Lucas’s voice cut sharply through the moment drawing everyone’s attention. But the commandant’s cutting stare was only directed at the four rulers.

David shifted on his sit: “Fair question” he admitted looking at his three peers with curiosity.

When nothing but unsure looks were exchanged, the werewolf sighted almost aggressively.

“The four of you realize all of this is a trap right? And that if we bring the army and the Queen to the Moors, we’ll be doing exactly what is expected from us?”

Regina frowned, guessing from what Emma told her this morning that she was the one mentioned by the Commandant and as the words she had just heard started to make sense she found herself about to react.

Snow cleared her throat though, interrupting her.

“Please, Sir Jones, receive our gratitude for having fulfilled so dutifully your role. Azaian has shining reasons to be proud of the tenacity you showed today. After such a tenacious trip, rest and food will be provided to you until your trip back.” She said with a rather tense smile.

The emissary blushed, fidgeting. “That’s generous of you your highness” he said, gripping his hat with both hands.

“The appreciation is ours. Our castle attendants will assist you”  
With a gracious sign of a hand, the Queen had the fisherman surrounded by a courteous escort.

“Thank you all for listening to me and for… well…caring that much… Goodbye” the man offered, struggling again with the etiquette. He waved and bowed and had Regina rolling her eyes but the instant he exited the room the brunette stared rather harshly at the commandant:

“I won’t squeal and hide under the table like a scared kitten” she clarified indignantly.   
“With all due respect, your Majesty, as the Commandant of the Royal Guard I have to remind you that your safety is what matters the most to your Kingdom regardless of your poor opinion about baby cats”

Shocked whispers ran throughout the assembly and the Commandant received instant sharp looks from the David Snow and Emma.

“Maleficent is perfidious, but we need to keep in my mind how clever and astute she is” Ruby started again, trying to explain her concerns. “We’ve been walking on fine edges with the Moors for more than a decade to maintain the terms of the Second treaty and whatever triggered Maleficent to make this move…We can be sure that this has been all sorted out beforehand and that she’s nothing but thoroughly prepared for us”

“I agree!” mingled Leroy bitterly into the discussion “We’ve been acting like her pets for years, and even now, she’s pushing us like mere pawns on a game board. I don’t know about you but I’m done being fooled around by a lizard!”

Regina burst out of an spiteful laugh. “And what exactly are you planning to do? Deal with her powers with your little…”

At this second, the brunette could swear Snow White managed to clear her throat, yelp a little and hiccup at the same time.

“With my little what ?” spat out the dwarf angrily, raising up, slamming his hands down the table. Regina had so many words just ready to pass her lips.   
Femurs? Judgement? Hair growth…

“Expertise of magic…of course » she pronounced, deciding on being good, a smug expression on her face though. The blonde who had just feared the worst next to her had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face. Muffled giggling could be heard around the table

The fuming dwarf glared at them but forced himself to calm down. Regina raised an impatient brow, as unimpressed by his tantrum as she has been for the past 35 years.

“ Do I really need to remind you that Maleficent is strong and that if she managed to confine the Dark one, iron spikes and cannonballs won’t do much?”  
“She had you help at the time” retorts the commandant, with that infuriating impertinent tone Regina already couldn’t stand. She countered without even thinking.  
“I’m not leaving Emma’s side,! I don’t care about…  
Wait… Maleficent had what?   
The brunette stopped talking, frowned and looked at Emma, trying to read on the blonde’s face if Ruby was being delirious or if her so-called wife had just omitted to inform her of the particular fact that Mal and her had been allies at some point.

The princess looked back at her, confused, and when several seconds of silence passed, Emma guessed she was silently asked her to intervene. She straightened up.

“We...we all know Maleficent and the creatures of the Moors have sworn loyalty to Regina, they won’t harm her”

Regina’s eyes widened even more.

“Yeah because abduction would be so much better! ” sneered the Commandant

“ Come on, there’s no mystery about which one of his students really took Rumplestinskin down! Maleficent is no match for Regina”

“We know what happened then. But are we so sure about what would happen now?”

“Are you being serious right now?” scoffed Emma in disbelief.

“They both had something decisive in common that only Maleficent still have today!”

“ What ?”

“Despair!”

The word echoed. Every breath tensed.

“Maleficent has nothing to lose! Do you know what difference that can make on a battlefield? ”

Regina hardly knew what was really on the table here, by the look of it, she could be both some sort of a trophy princess meant to be won over by triumphing in a foolish war. Or she could be one of the foolish rulers fighting it. And no, neither of these options felt right. She spoke anyway, letting go of something surprisingly true to her:

“I can assure you Commandant that no matter how much strength someone can draw from their own excruciating emptiness… it’s nothing… nothing compared to the power coming from having actually something or someone to protect!”

Henry. Didn’t his name say it all?

Henry had her and all her pretenses crawled on the ground, no matter how strong she had thought she was. No matter how many lives she had conquered in blood, claimed and finished. Ultimately, loving him had first, brought her on her knees, only to push her to raise again, from dust, using resources she never knew she had in the first place.

Her fierce eyes bored in the commandant stare, making the werewolf flush.

« Anyway » stuttered uncomfortably David « the Queen’s words are not to be discussed. I will lead the convoy to Azaian.”

Ruby exhaled angrily, struggling to keep herself from making any further protest. She ran nervously one of her hands into her luscious hair.

“The army is rallying as we speak, the most distant soldier have been informed last night by the Queen Snow’s carrier pigeons» she informed almost through gritted teeth « I believe we will be ready to leave around midday, as required”

“Then we can expect to reach the Unclaimed territory by night » added Emma, trying to gather herself and fulfill her actual role as the Supreme Chief of the Kingdom’s Army « We’ll set up the camp and walk over the Moors at dawn. Then…we’ll demand Maleficent’s immediate abdication for failing the Second treaty.”

Ruby laughed bitterly

“And that will go well”

Regina frowned. Already struggling with…maybe anger? Or at least some strange feeling of discomfort.

“Tomorrow at dawn?” she asked “The Moors are just few hours away on horse back!”

Emma looked at her, puzzled.

“Not with an army”

“Why don’t we use a portal then?”

“You can’t” objected Snow White with confusion. “That would break the agreements applied in the entire Enchanted Forest regarding military deployment”

Regina gaped at her, with an “you’re not helping” expression on her face.

“You’re the one who signed it! » The Older queen defended « You insisted on how it would soothe the Kings insecure misogynistic egos and make them stop behaving like magic was a threat to the size of their manhood »

David chuckled at the memory, along with Emma and numbers of delegates despite the heaviness tensing the air. Regina cringed. Henry. David. Snow. The real ones. All of them were vulnerable to the very pissed off Evil Queen she had left behind. Almost 24 hours trapped far from Storybrooke seemed like an eternity.

The blonde interlaced their fingers:  
« It’ll be okay »

No it wouldn’t. Regina was a mere second to say it out loud when once again, the contact of their skin unbalanced her. This force she felt was odd, it was not magic, and again, the tenderness of it was like feathers on her skin, and somehow, there was something deeper. Running into her flesh. She found herself unable to say a word, flustered and, yes, so incredibly worried.

«Normally decisions regarding any military measure would be discussed by the council. But in our current situation, I fear that the said decision was never in our hands to begin with. After Azaian’s attack, the Kingdom is forced to react, as for other regions could find themselves at risk, literally every breathing second until this provocation is addressed. We simply can not have that »

Snow’s voice resonated with calm and firmness. Her eyes didn’t falter and when a voice even asked pretty loudly for blood, somehow her solemn expression gained in charisma.

« We should all pray it won’t come to that. But the White Kingdom won’t step back. Is there any objection on this or are we all clear and ready for what may come next?»

Everyone agreed and in the powerful moment the wise and fair Queen turned to Regina, their eyes met and the brunette deciphered an almost overwhelming devotion directed her way. The moment lasted enough for the mayor to have her breath stolen, and when the older woman divert her attention back to her administrates, Regina ran nervously her fingers into the dark locks cascading her shoulder.

«  I proclaim the assembly closed then. I thank everyone and suggest we all go on our way. We sure have a lot to do »

With profusion of dedicated salutations, the assembly parted, in a synchronic thunder of chairs. Regina climbed down the royal stage her mind running wild with suppositions, more than a few critical incomprehensions and even more critical concerns. She wasn’t looking when she bumped into someone, abruptly coming back to her senses. She looked at the source of the collision, soon raising an amused eyebrow.

Belle.

At the cheer fear she saw on the familiar face, she almost whined. Wasn’t she supposed to heal people instead of killing them here? How come she was freezing them in pure terror anyway? Anyhow, she, at least, refrained from reaching out this time, knowing the deadly effect it could apparently have. She just stood motionless for an awkward moment before the younger woman luckily enough gathered herself and bent submissively muttering her excuses. The Queen slightly nodded, careful not to display to much of human emotions, because as she had learned from her previous altercation, that could be life threatening too. And it worked, Belle somehow managed to stay conscious the whole time before running away under her attentive stare.

« Are you doing this on purpose? »

Regina blinked and turned to see Emma rejoining her.

« I was lost in thoughts!» she explained in her own defense. The blonde smiled.  
« I saw »  
« Were you listening to your father at all? » Teased a still frustrated brunette. Of course she couldn’t really hold her utmost confusion against the memory-less Savior, but part of her wished she could.  
  
« Absolutely, of all people you should know how good I am at multitasking »

Regina almost choked and stared at the beaming blonde for a long shocked moment, taking in the absolute smug expression displayed by the usually reserved Savior. Then she burst out in laugher. This new side of Emma was surprising, but she liked it over all. The change felt good. Especially now. So she played along.

« Maybe I’m so used to have your undivided attention, I simply can’t fathom what it’s like to share it»

« So you just assume that the moment I have my eyes on you I can’t see or listen anyone else? »

Regina just stared at her seductively and stepped closer.

« Would that assumption be so wrong ? »

Emma kept on smiling but her eyes didn’t. They darkened and pierced into the amber gaze with so much warmth Regina felt something melt in her chest.

« No, it wouldn’t. » Then she added « You know that»

The Savior’s hands slid around the slim waist, pulling the other woman closer, her eyes boring into the brunette’s with raw, almost visceral veneration. Everything practically faded around them and Regina just kept searching, for science sake if nothing else, slightly frowning. What was it? What was this magnetic energy she was feeling?

In her train of thoughts, images burst in, like pieces of the past she had buried beneath the million things that happened to her and her family since those 28 years of empty peace came to en end.

_« What the hell are you’re doing? »_

_She was furious, she remembered, seeing Emma chainsawing this tree had felt like her past life was being ripped off again. How anyone could even dare replicate what Fate had already achieved so illustriously?_

_«Picking apples._   
_-You’re out of you mind…_   
_-No! you are if you think a shoddy frame job is enough to scare me off you’re gonna have to do better than that! You cone after me one more time, I’m coming back for the rest of the tree. Because sister you have no idea capable of. Your move »_

Here it was, she though. Not their greatest moment she’d admit, but the spark, the force, it was the same. Only a fraction of it, obviously, but still similar in essence.

« Your highnesses »

Regina’s almost didn’t hear the words but when she turned absently she noticed Ruby, standing stiffly besides them.

« Sorry to interrupt » The Commandant excused herself, ostensibly not sorry at all. Yeah, she and Ruby were definitely not best friends.

« I would like to know your decision regarding Prince Henry »

Emma tensed, clenched her jaw, ran a hand in her golden hair sighing heavily

«Not now Rube » she muttered aggressively.

« When then? » insisted the Commandant. « Because right now looks alarmingly appropriate for me to give instructions to my legions !»   
« Well we haven’t discussed it yet!  
« I don’t even get what is up to discussion to begin with!  
« That’s none of your business!  
« At some point it is! »

« What’s wrong with Henry? » Inquired Regina, not appreciating to be left out of the discussion for the second time.

Emma exhaled but deflected uncomfortably her wife’s question.

« Fine. We’ll decide then we’ll reach out to you   
-Make it quick  
-Don’t fucking push you luck Commandant’ retort Emma pointing menacingly at her with a coldness in her voice that even surprised Regina. Ruby stay silent, obviously taken aback, bent slightly and turned away disappear.

« What this is all about? » Asked Regina with confusion. The blonde take her firmly by the hand and begin to lead her throughout the gallery.

« Emma! Where are we going? »  
« In the royal office, if you’re gonna try to rip my throat off I would rather have that happening in private »

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a long time, (thank you so much for your patience)
> 
> Thank you for reading and for your support. 
> 
> See you soon


	4. Chapter 4

« Henry’s enrollment, you know he celebrated his sixteenth birthday last summer and, as the Throne’s heir, he’s expected to lead the second regiment alongside the Commandant of the Guard… while…while as rulers, of course, you and me take the lead of the first battalion and launch the first assault»

Emma was seated behind the marble desk, fidgeting, forcing herself not to avoid her wife’s icy stare.

They had entered the royal office, with Regina already fussing about being manhandled across the entire council room. The moment the heavy doors were closed, she had asked frustratingly: « What the hell is this all about? »

The customary « Miss Swan » she used in guise of punctuation whenever her temper got the better of her almost passed her lips. But she kept them tight instead, clenching her fists.

Now that she had the answer, Regina’s eyes widened.

«What? » And then « Absolutely not! Are you out of your mind? »

And Emma sighed, looking up defeatedly at the beautifully painted ceiling.

« We’ve been debating about this since he’s fourteen Baby…» she exhaled with exhaustion « I’ve been sent to war at that age and we can’t postpone him taking his rightful place among the Kingdom forever »

So here was the rub huh? The flaw, the chink in this outwardly perfect and way too-sensible-to-be-true façade. And Regina just couldn’t find it in her to just swallow it like she was supposed to. God, did she try, fixing stubbornly Emma’s lips like she was not the woman she knew, the one raising, loving, protecting their son like she had herself, from the day she became a mother. This was the thing though, those sacred commitments were not hers alone anymore, not since that night when the blonde showed up utterly unwelcome in her driveway.

« I’m sorry your horrid traditions forced you through all of that Emma, but don't expect me to wait until I can’t do nothing but be sorry for my son ! This is not happening !» Her voice was low and threatening.

The blonde rose to her feet, somehow managing to match the intangible fire burning before her.

« I don't expect pity from anyone! In fact I’m actually pretty proud of the traditions you call « horrid » !»

« Well if you care so much about them then you’ve clearly married the wrong person! » The brunette snapped. And, yes that sounded like a low blow even to her own ears.

« What? It’s just… Henry and me…we’re not like you don’t you get it? » Emma was practically screaming at this point.

And the brunette just stood there, motionless, taking the words right in the middle of her chest and feeling them echoing in her bones. For once, she blamed the so-called perks of having a bright red shining heart beating inside her. Because here she was, having a meaningless argument in a meaningless realm, and hurting because of words bound to haunt her everywhere now, no matter how far she had come from the insecure and lonely person she once was.

This was non-sense. She turned her back to the blonde, hiding how vulnerable she felt.

«We’re just normal people…» Emma explained « We’re not from a powerful bloodline with enough magic in our veins to change History! »

Regina inhaled deeply.

The product of « True Love », mother of the Author, with a whole damn prophecy with her name on it.   
Nothing special. Right?

« On the other hand, your name…your name is legend Regina! and no matter what path you chose you just grew to be the unrivaled Sorcerer you were always meant to be. Everyone will remember you as the one who defeated the undefeatable because that was your Fate »

Then she turned around, because if Emma was about to bring Fate in this discussion…

« But us? » Blue vibrant eyes cut her words before she could speak them. «We have nothing but this Regina » said the blonde, showing off her bare hands « and what’s in our heart! » She added pointing out her own chest.

« You don’t know your true power » Regina asserted.

« My father was a shepherd! » countered the blonde, taking the brunette aback «He served on a throne as a naive, foolish fraud, taking part in egoistical schemes he had no idea of. And my mother? She may have been raised in silk and gold… but all of this meant nothing, once she became a hungry runaway with nothing in her possession but a stolen hemp coat and a pair of worn boots. She dinned at tables, where there wasn’t enough food to feed the children. Yet, she asked, begged even and she ate because, much to her regret, she was desperate and as human as the next person. See? This is the heritage I was born to carry and perpetuate through time and I’m grateful to my parents for teaching me to be proud of it! »

Regina was honestly speechless.

«So yes, when I was old enough to learn how to read they’ve decided I was also old enough to work on the farm fields, just like every peasant’s child in order for me to never forget where the food I eat comes from and how much sweat and effort it takes to make it grow. I was sent to the farthest lands, where I couldn’t even speak the common language so I could understand what it feels like to be an outcast and how hard it is to fit in without people reaching out and help. And yes! I set camps, trained, spent entire nights seated around fire camps rambling about life with my fellow soldiers, fighting by their sides the morning after and seeing them fall just a few feet from me. It taught me that every drop of blood soiling the ground during a battle fight is a life threatening to end and and a family risking to be shattered, on both sides. These are our traditions, they are about learning the hard, the painful, the ugly in order to value and protect the good! And don’t you dare tell me you can’t relate because that’s exactly what you did! »

Emma was almost out of breath. The conviction in her eyes shone like gold and aquamarine, ignited and melting into one indescribable shade. And Regina was out of word. She was in awe and mortified at the same time, hurt even.

Because…learnt the hard? The ugly? The painful? Oh that she had!  
But how the exactly was she supposed to protect the good in this situation? And really, did she ever manage to do that?

She could deluded herself and think a serum and a signature magic trick could erase the deeds she had perpetrated from her flesh and turn them into ashes. Damn, she had even created Storybrooke in hope to get a second chance in life and maybe she had fooled herself into believing it.

But the losses? They had never stopped . And they kept coming. All from the same place.

The one she had run away from.

So, after doing the math, all pretenses pushed aside, on what side of the line was she standing really?

There was one thing though. One thing she had no doubt about.

« Henry can’t be hurt »

This? This transcended the right choices she never made. The hopes that became ill inside her heart, maybe because her heart was never meant to hope to begin with.

«One day, Henry will be King of the White Kingdom» soothed Emma, stepping cautiously closer. « You need to let him learn and thrive so he can make the world a better place when the time comes »

« His soul is so innocent… what if war and violence…what if the past hurt it and it hardens and, all of a sudden, our burden become his? » whispered Regina remembering how Henry tried to send homemade cookies in an envelope to Africa when he was four. The time he cried when he learnt some butterflies only lived one day. The way he never drew only one flower in his drawings, but at least two, to make sure it would never feel alone.

«Trust him »

The hazel watering eyes met Emma’s.

« Trust yourself » added the Savior.

Regina felt the gentle fingers brush her cheek, then warm arms embracing her, and timelines merged into one.

Because it was no coincidence she was there anyway was it?

When she had felt like her world and her sanity about to crash, finding solace couldn’t lead her anywhere else but here.

She looked at Emma.

« I trust us »

The finality in her voice made the blonde smile almost sadly.

« Then don’t ever say I was meant for anyone but you »

The brunette gulped nervously.

« Well…we were arguing » she said matter of factly, with a glimpse of guilt in her eyes that didn’t escape Emma’s scrutiny.

« Meaning we’re not anymore? » beamed the blonde for real this time.

Regina rolled her eyes wiping off her unshed tears careful not to ruin her make up.

« I wouldn’t gloat so soon Dear, I’m quite formidable at picking arguments »

Emma laughed.

«And I’m quite formidable at winning them too» the brunette added for good measure, smiling despite herself. The peck she received on her lips took her of guard.

« I know » the blonde said with a softness that contrasted so fiercely with her knight-like appearance. And Regina’s heartbeat quickened with the realization of what just happened while the blonde proceeded to gently lean her forehead against hers.

« If you’re really not okay with this, we’ll wait »

The brunette thought. At least she tried to. An then she frowned.

«What’s the werewolf problem’s anyway? How come she’s more keen on sending our teenage son on a battlefield than his adult perfectly capable mother? Does she know I could turn her into a puppy wolf with milk fangs in the blink of an eye? »

Emma chuckled.

« She’s the commandant of your guard. She’s just protective of you and you know she’s always been on edge with the protocol »

« Well, when the time comes, she better be protective and more than a little on edge regarding Henry… »

« She will » interrupted Emma. « They’re friends. Behind her grouchy attitude, she adores him »

« Good »

As if she knew exactly how hard this was for her, the blonde pulled her into a tight hug again.

 _They must be nearly symbiotic…_ contemplated Regina about the couple this Emma formed with this mysterious other version of herself she still knew so little about.

The remnants of the osmosis they shared were like hints that genuinely intrigued her more and more. She could feel them continually lingering in the air and in this sense of peace that was still there, somewhere deep inside, since she had woken up here. There was also this tension the blonde could invoke, on apparently both physical and emotional levels as she discovered minutes ago when mere words exploded tenfold in her chest.

This was something to consider, she mused, feeling for the first time like, somehow, her own flesh was a vessel that was not hers alone. She was alarmingly sensitive, unstable almost and had yet to know to what extent exactly she was in control of herself in the middle of this. Because, the Gods knew the current crisis made very little sense to her.

Speaking of which.

« I’ll go tell the news to Ruby » said the blonde reluctantly pulling away. She kissed her forehead before heading towards the doors. « And I’ll tell her the part when you give her baby teeth if she’s being an arrogant butt again»

«Please » ascertained Regina to the smiling Savior.

When the doors closed, after an « I love you » that was still flustering her, the brunette had again to gather herself hurriedly and take advantage of the little alone time she was given.

Standing in the middle of the round office, she closed her eyes, focusing on activating the location spell she had cast earlier.

***  
Belle French was still writing the report of today’s council, anxious to transcribe every word spoken during the quite hectic meeting when a cloud of purple smoke erupted right at her face. The first respiratory distress almost turn into a plain heart attack when the majestic silhouette of the Queen merged from the mist.

The diligent scribe stumble out of her chair, before rising again in panic:

« Your…your Highness » she stuttered her eyes never leaving the old wooden ground while the Queen herself walked slowly towards the cloak hanging from the coat hook fixed on the wall, retrieving the single black hair she had purposefully placed on its fabric. With a smile of satisfaction she looked up at the trembling woman.

« I believe you know your way through the kingdom’s archives » she stated only to have the younger woman nod in confirmation.

« Then I would like to have access to some of them »  
« Of..of course your Majesty… which register or year Your highness wish to consult? »

« I want everything from the day I first stepped in this castle to the day I married Princess Emma »

Maybe what she would discover would be hard. Maybe the story of who exactly she was here would only point out how she had failed and let the darkness irreversibly shape her own life.

But it was time to understand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Year! New Update! Sorry it took me forever to update this fic :/ Thanks for the support I've received while struggling with this chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it. ;)

Regina blinked and blinked again because what she was seeing made absolutely no sense at all.

It had taken less than an hour for Belle to send the precious documents up to one of the royal offices. The quite intimidating room was now a mess of piled up books and papers, in which the regal Queen struggled to find her way at first. With everyone busy with both imminent massive departures, it was her chance to drown her absence in the ambient chaos. She had to be quick though and apparently, mentally prepared to read the most extravagant narrative about her life. And oh did she already have quite the experience in that department.

However, nothing had prepared her for what she was about to find out.

Nothing.

She had almost initially forgone the Royal family tree register, ironically enough, looking immediately for the court registers and the court circular, both reporting every major legal act or event happening within the Kingdom. But somehow, something stopped her. She was Henry’s birthmother here and because of the strong bond existing between Emma and her, she had assumed on the dot that this was the result of True Love’s magic. But what if it wasn’t? What if « a father » was out there, somewhere? another Neal who had…who had… with….Yeah. No. She stopped searching around, and opened that book just to make sure, turned the pages, her manicured finger sliding on the rough paper, until it froze. Literally, as if her blood had turned into ice.

What in the hell…

No.

How…?

Blink. Blink. Blink again. And then nausea.

Almost throwing away the genealogy book, she went immediately for the court registers, searching like a lunatic, turning pages after pages furiously, until it was there, just before her eyes. The most absurd, livid, ludicrous legal document she could have imagined.

Her act of marriage.

Hers..

… like, hers.

The one she had signed at seventeen years old, when she was married off to Leopold White. She recognized the date, the curvy and shaky signature in the paper which looked so juvenile to her now and for a second Regina remembered how terrified she had felt when her still innocent hand had gripped the quill pen that day, signing her freedom away when all it had wanted to do was reaching out for help.

Her name. She had seen it appearing twice on the White family lineage.

Regina Mills, Queen consort of King Leopold White.

Regina Mills, Queen consort of Princess Emma Charming, mother of prince Henry Charming-Mills.

Was that what she had done here? Had she just jumped from one branch of the tree to another?

Where was the pain? She thought, overwhelmed. If this reality intended to throw pieces of the truth at her face where was the rest of it? The hatred? The agony? The fall? The thirst for revenge?

Sick to her stomach, teary-eyed, she kept on reading, her mind sharpening, almost switching from utter confusion to coldness. She expected a farfetched errand to the most questionable brinks of imagination, but what she began was the strangest trip down freaking Memory Lane.

Because the following pages matched. They matched random recollections that popped up in her mind. Unruly morsels of the past she didn’t even know she had registered when she was too caught up in her pain: fragments of conversations she had heard, meetings, dinners she had assisted to, absent-minded. Faces, empty smiles, carnal stares, masks of hypocrisy brimming with burning greed. Only at her age, now, she was able to really make sense of it all. And it was so clear. Still holding the heavy leather covered book, she walked toward the desk where a map of the entire realm was carved.

The Enchanted forest she was born in was divided in multiples kingdoms, a lot of them, indicated on the beautiful wooden work by the appellation « ancient frontiers». The most powerful and significant monarchies were very few then but known for the immemorial rivalry opposing their rulers. Her father has been an heir in line to one of those cursed yet prominent thrones. She had occupied infamously one of them of course, but names like George, Midas, Stefan, Leopold even, had already shaped or rather repeated History when she had been in age to learn it and one land had always managed to somehow be involved and strangely remain unimpaired from those feuds.

The Moors.

The untamed territory, so untamed, in fact, it was hostile.

Looking at the map, Regina observed the tormented province, mostly delimited on its southern border by the dark forbidden mountains. And the Queen almost chuckled with acrimony, seeing the numerous minor cities laying at the feet of the mountain range, therefore separating the Moors from the White Kingdom. She had conquered them all during her reign, one after the other, driven by bloodlust and Rumple’s incentives, wanting Snow White dead at all costs, expanding her authority farther and farther so the princess would have no place to hide. She hadn’t realize though how Leopold had already started the exact same work years before he died. For different reasons, of course. That’s what made the situation even more twisted wasn’t it?

Anyway, questionable economic agreements, pressured political settlements, even the use of military forces, all types of documents, were just there, proving Leopold’s determination to expand the kingdom’s territory up North, so shortly after their union she was still emotionally numb, crashed, barely functioning at first. Then when she had felt again, it was only cravings: Daniel, his arms, his warmth, his smile. And anger.

Her mother, however, was a smart, smart woman.

That’s why Regina almost smiled. That’s also why she didn’t.

The Moors: they were the target from de beginning weren’t they? Bribes of discussions happening between Cora and the King returned from the past, and she could now see how her mother had so skillfully lured the ruler into seeking power and glory all over again, pushing him toward a land that, really, was more trouble than anything, except for those who mastered magic. Yeah. She bet Leopold had not realized that.

Even after her mother’s disappearance, it turned out the King acted accordingly to her plan, making political progresses that had meant nothing to her young self, as she, at the time, was figuring out her way through grief and resentment, slowly drifting into magic and darkness, allowing the burgeoning and upcoming raising of the Evil Queen.

And as it happened in her real life, the first official step into this intoxicating spin was factually bound to Maleficent and her forced trip to the Moors. There, she had literally and figuratively, learnt more about Fire than at any time in her life. She had felt it weakened, suffocated by sorrow, barely crackling under layers of regrets, yet still tingling her skin in a way that made her breath hitched. Then, she had seen it revive. Strong and glorious. And she had felt like her lungs were too small.

As she stared at the diplomatic agreements resulting from her travel giving the right-of-way to the White Kingdom’s citizens on the ordinarily unapproachable land, Regina could remember how she smug she’d been. Her first political achievement as a Queen, an unexpected one for sure, not quite the complete annexation that was envisioned, but progress nonetheless.

Leopold…oh clueless Leopold had never seen it coming, too engrossed as he was, in his little daughter’s every accomplishment.

When he had looked at her that day, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time. She had witnessed microsecond after microsecond, the way she had taken almost human form in his eyes. Then the surprise, the confusion, the awe and, they both knew why, the guilt. Blazing.

However, after the formal and public congratulations he had offered her, she had retreated politely to her bedchamber. That’s when the real excitement had filled her blood… warming it despite her every effort to tame it down. How weak and childish was that right? To crave validation as hard as she did? She had dismissed immediately every maid, had gone covertly to the stables, and waited. Waited.  
Until the blemish spur of smoke burst behind her.

 _« How did you get here so soon? »_ Rumple had asked, already knowing

Here it was, a feeling so close to what had haunted her childhood.

_« On the back of a dragon, how else? »_

There.

The imp’s eyes had been her mother’s. Maybe even Leopold’s. They had been every eyes that ever challenged her already signing her up for failure.

For once she had proven them wrong.

And this was everything.

She hadn’t even take the time to realize that the breakdown of the magic shield protecting the Moors would later on grant her now-chosen-mentor access to fairy dust’s mines uncontrolled by the fairies, therefore enabling him to trade more souls, more destinies, more promising futures in exchange of the precious powder. Just as he hoped it would. Just as her mother did right before him, dreaming about the day the mystic land would fall into her daughter’s hand, giving more power to the Mills’s name than any marriage, compromise, humiliation ever conceded to thrive.

Regina couldn’t even blame them. Well she did, of course, with all her heart, but had she been in their position then, with the experience she had now, burning with the same all-consuming ambition, she would have proceeded the same way. Only, in their scenario she had been the pawn, the naïve blinded fool.

The following pages traced the continuation of this path with the very few political advances and policies Leopold had managed to enact, some of them even established on her behalf (and Rumple’s secret guidance) as feeble testimonies of his growing respect. Then, when the time was right, at the first opportunity:

Leopold’s act of death.  
The Genie’s condemnation for the king’s murder, followed by the skillfully fomented public declaration designing Snow White as a traitor to the kingdom.

Then, after that, for lack of better words: the man hunt.

All the sordid details were there, depicting what had been her main and only goal in life for years. It was madness, of course it was. The wanted person notices, the royal orders to track down, the alliance with King Gorge, the insatiable thirst for revenge that pushed and broke dams in her psyche she should have kept intact.

But torn apart in hatred instead.

Truthfully, at this point it was hard to believe that any event could alter the way Fate had taken place. The more Regina read, the closer she came to expect a full-blown ass MIRACLE to burst out randomly at any moment: like something big. A-meteorite-hitting-the-ground-provoking-collective-amnesia kind of big.

And as the registers kept recounting the way her visceral feud with Snow escalated into a civil war, the first change she noticed made her frown. And sit on the window bench.

It began with the seemingly voluntary retrocession of numerous cities, mostly the ones bordering the Moors. Then was reinforced with more cancellations including the annulment of the agreement she had settled herself granting the White Kingdom access to the elusive land.

She had to read that twice.

What on earth?

As most of the confrontations were centralized in the East though, the conflict with the rebels remained unaffected by those changes. The battle kept raging as proved by the mission orders sending more men and weapons on the battlefield.

And really, Regina was almost caught of guard when it came up. Almost like she had forgotten it had ever occurred.

Her defeat.

Written in the form of the legal records reporting her arrest, her trial.  
And her sentencing to death.

She couldn’t help but gulp with uneasiness.

 **« When asked if she has any last words, the prisoner acquiesces and claims to be aware of the prejudices she has caused, namely pain, misery and deaths inflicted during her reign. The prisoner, then, ~~proceeds to express her regrets~~ emphasizes the fact that she still feels no remorse regarding her past actions and quite vocally wishes death upon the Queen Snow White. **  
**The archers take aim ~~and on the King’s order proceed to the execution~~.The execution is interrupted by the Queen. »**

So…. She had had this tendency to go slightly overboard.  
And probably had given the clerk in charge that day, the most hectic time of his life.

Youth, right?

Passing the official declaration of her banishment, Regina knew Snow and David’s act of marriage would come shortly after. Then for the first time since she opened that book, a real, genuine, beaming smile appeared on her face.

Emma’s birth certificate.

**Her Highness, Emma Charming Princess of the White Kingdom.**

She brushed the elegant letters with the tip of her fingers, enraptured by the way they sounded in her head, delicate, yet promising of such greatness. Emma had deserved it, of all people, the blonde should have gone through life with this everlasting, powerful acknowledgment of her birth. But she hadn’t. And that made her to grab her younger self by the shoulder and shake her out of her own insanity.

She fought the tears that were already wetting her eyes and realized that it was the moment it all ended. She sure hadn’t taken the time to write any document proclaiming the Dark Curse. So she turned the page, exhausted, expecting everything, anything. And she read.

**Treaty of Peace**

**First treaty signed in the Enchanted Forest, realm of Misthaven, between The White Kingdom and allied powers, on one part, and the Land of the Moors, on the other part.**

**On the request of the Moors, bearing in mind that previous political agreements were successfully enacted and later on revoked with no conflict between the two parties and given the geographical proximity of their respective position, this treaty shall settle between both of the kingdoms involved and associated powers the conditions ensuring a firm, just and durable Peace.**  
**For this purpose the High contracting parties are represented as follows:**  
**Her Majesty Queen of the Moors by Maleficent**  
**Her Majesty Queen of the Moors by Regina Mills**

Regina almost choked.

 **His Majesty King of the White Kingdom by David Charming**  
**Her MajestyQueen of the White Kingdom by Snow Charming**

**Article one**

**The renewal of the following prescriptions shall be held every ten years counting from the day of the signature. If not renewed at the requested date the prescriptions and co-operation settled by the treaty would considered null and invalid.**

**Article two**

**The frontiers delimiting both parties should not be crossed, excepting during a three months period of time beginning at the rise of winter’s solstice, when the White Kingdom’s citizens are allowed to collect venison, plants and water from any adjacent forest laying on the Moors territory. Any military forces or activities noticed in those areas would immediately revoke the treaty. Any areas exterior from those zones are strictly prohibited to White Kingdom’s citizens.**

**Article Three**

**If requested, the White Kingdom shall grant the right of way to any forces armed or not, deployed by the Moors in order to defeat their common enemy, known as Rumplestinskin, also referred as the Dark one, until the said detractor remain securely in the Moors’s dungeon where he will be kept indefinitely.**

**Article four**

**The mission aiming for the arrest of Rumplestinskin would be led and conducted by the Moors’s rulers alone with no interference of any form until the goal is completed.**

**Article five**

**From the day of the signature, the Highnesses Queen Snow Charming and her husband, King David Charming make the solemn commitment to forever remain out of sight of her majesty Queen Regina Mills. Delegates and representatives, would therefore be allowed to complete the decennial renewal required by the treaty, as replacement for the contracting parties.**

Then four signatures.

And Regina was just dumbfounded.

The voices echoed in her mind. Maleficent’s and her own.

 _« Don’t do this! this curse…there are lines even we shouldn’t cross. All power comes with a price, enacting it will be a terrible toll, it would leave an emptiness inside you, a void you will never be able to fill !»_  
_« So be it »_

Had she listened that night? had she fight her demons instead of give in to them?

From there, reading the registers was like devouring a novel. Twenty years of a story she didn’t write herself and it was thrilling.

She first got to envision Snow White make her first step as a Queen, she saw the honest mistakes, the illusions deceived. She perceived the sleepless nights wondering what was the right thing to do and the failures, most certainly followed by other sleepless nights pondering if « the right thing » existed at all. She noticed the shift in the policies attempting knew angles to solve immemorial issues, she predicted the deception, the self-doubt and maybe the hurt when the former princess adored by the people had to address their complaints and show her limits.

With time, Regina noticed the progress though. The responses that were less impulsive but more vigilant, less idealistic, less naive and consequently way more efficient. Smart even, and sometimes creative.

Already, the decennial renewal of the first treaty was coming and Blue was sent to the Moors as a mandatory delegate. Her other self must have been ecstatic.

Regina had also a slight insight on Emma growing up. Just as she said, the blonde was sent throughout the entire realm on diplomatic or military missions earning more titles that were soon added to her name. Regina was impressed, by Emma as well as the Charmings who showed more audacity in their education than she could ever have with Henry. And the result were good, the White Kingdom although not nearly perfect, was finding balance again after the climactic transition it had gone through.

Then the second renewal happened.  
And this time, it was signed by Emma.

The first time they met, she realized. And whatever happened that was not mentioned in the registers it led two years later to their marriage. And to Henry birth one year after.

On his certificate, her baby boy almost acquired an entirely different magnitude.

And on her part, Regina didn’t really know what to do about the fact that she had been married not only _once_ but _three times_ here. Like… How did that happened? Was she collecting rings or what?

Any careless and bitter thought were cut short though.

On the following page was fixed a document that obviously had been crumpled up. On its surface, the writing has been smeared and there were spots where the ink seemed almost completely deluted.

Tears.  
Tears and rage, visible at the end, where the shoddy signature barely formed the name « Maleficent »

  
**Treaty of Peace**

**Second treaty signed in the Enchanted Forest, realm of Misthaven, between The White Kingdom and allied powers, on one part, and the Land of the Moors, on the other part.**

The second treaty Regina had heard about.

**On the request of the White Kingdom, bearing in mind that every condition of the treaty previously signed between the two parties were scrupulously met, resulting in twenty years of a cordial political climate between the two kingdoms and associated powers and given the recent change regarding the marital unions sealed within the contracting parties, this treaty shall secure the Peace successfully maintained thus far.**

**For this purpose the High contracting parties are represented as follows:**  
**Her Majesty Queen of the Moors by Maleficent**

 **His Majesty King of the White Kingdom by David Charming**  
**Her Majesty Queen of the White Kingdom by Snow Charming**  
**Her Majesty Queen of the White Kingdom by Regina Charming-Mills**  
**Her Majesty Princess of the White Kingdom by Emma Charming**

More or less the same names, quite different disposition though.  
And less articles too, as Regina was about to find out.

**Article one**

**Both The White kingdom and The Land of the Moors regain the exclusive use of their territory, prohibiting from the time being any foreigner citizen to trespass their frontiers, whatever the time of the year.**

**Article two**

  
**The White Kingdom will recede 1 mile of its land alongside every border shared with the Moors, creating an « unclaimed zone » securing the clear distinction between the two kingdoms and allied powers.**

**Article Three**

**If signed those prescriptions are to be permanent**


End file.
